Annoying trackpad freeze on MacBook

Trackpad usually works, but sometimes stops responding for around 5 seconds and then suddenly starts working again. Seems to happen when I switch between typing and moving + button-clicking and also when I do a lot of double-clicking. Tried turning off the "Ignore accidental trackpad input". Apple replaced the keyboard/mouse under warranty. Problem remains. Any ideas?

White non-unibody Late-2008 13" MacBook - fully up-to-date OS. Doesn't seem to matter if it is plugged in or not. Updated to Snow Leopard - seems to have made it worse.

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5 Answers

If you have a unibody Macbook, Apple released a firmware upgrade for the trackpad a while ago that is supposed to fix this issue. It is available via Software Update.

If you aren't using a unibody Macbook, you can try putting the palm of your hand over the trackpad for 5 seconds to restart it.

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You may be running into the "Ignore Accidental Input" feature of the trackpad. It is an option in the Trackpad preferences. It tends to ignore all but the center of the trackpad shortly after you start typing.

Here is an apple article on it (screen shot is out of date, I believe):

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Not much chance of this being your problem, but there have been some reports of the battery swelling and exerting pressure on the trackpad from below and causing problems. If you have a swollen or deformed battery, get a replacement.

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Maybe try Resetting the System Management Controller.

The System Management Controller is an integrated circuit (computer chip) that is on the logic board of the computer. As the name implies, it is responsible for power management of the computer. It controls backlighting, hard disk spin down, sleep and wake, some charging aspects, trackpad control, and some input/output as it relates to the computer sleeping.

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Applying even a little pressure to the left palm rest creates this condition. Apple replaced the top case again and this time it seems to have corrected the problem, although, it looks like they may have added a spacer on the left palm rest to "fix" it.

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